Psalm 147:5 - January 8, 2010

Ps 147:5 "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." NIV

Have you ever had a problem you couldn’t solve? Have you ever faced a situation where no matter how hard you tried you could not understand it? One of the wonders of this passage is the thought that the Lord has never had this feeling. There has never been a problem to complex for him. There has never been a mystery that he could not discern. There has never been a situation that was beyond his understanding. Psalm 147:5 exalts the Lord’s power, his marvelous capacity to be all things to all people and to be the answer to every need.

Whatever you are searching for, God knows where to find it. Whatever you are seeking to understand, God understands it more completely. In all things there is God. For every problem there is God. For every need there is God! He has all the power you need, all the wisdom you need and His love compels Him to act on your behalf. He will never misdiagnose your need. He will never confuse your situation with that of another one of His children. He is “mighty in power”… and “his understanding has no limit.”

When I reflect upon these aspects of God it provokes me to consider another element of God’s greatness that is revealed in principle through this passage. What is truly amazing is this: Can you imagine any being; whether human or supernatural in nature, who being all powerful, all knowing and ever-present and yet could remain perfectly humble! Anyone given over to the sinful human nature would be compelled by possessing even a significant measure of the attributes of God to an overbearing pride. This is evidenced in the life of Paul, who even though he was one of God’s greatest servants in his generation, was assigned a thorn in the flesh to help him resist his inclination towards pride that was a result of having experienced significant dimensions of the beauty realms of God.

How awesome this passage portrays God to be in both power and wisdom and yet what is implied about God’s character through this statement is the most wonderful of all. All of these things can be true and do not conflict with one another because of one thing: God is love! The very fabric of His being, the very essence of who He is, is love!

Psalm 146:5-9 - January 6, 2010

Ps 146:5-9 "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked." NIV

Psalm 146:5-9 contains one of the most encouraging phrases in all of scripture. Verse 6 declares that the Lord “remains faithful forever.” Imagine the ability to “completely” rely on someone! There has never been and never will be a time when the Lord cannot be fully relied upon. There will never be a day when the Lord gets busy or distracted and fails to keep His commitments. There will never be a moment when the pressures of life are too great for Him and He has to neglect one of His responsibilities. He is altogether faithful. This is why verse 5 can be confidently affirmed. “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord.” Anyone who places their trust in God will certainly not be disappointed. They will be able to live in joy because of their assurance that God is faithful to all that He has promised.
As we consider this passage there is a second feature of it that adds to its power and beauty. This declaration of the Lord’s faithfulness is followed by the testimony of how God expresses that faithfulness! This description of the passions of God’s heart is comforting for its assurance of God’s compassion. “He upholds the cause of the oppressed…” food to the hungry, freedom for the prisoners, sight to the blind, these are the works of the Lord that display His faithfulness. All of this is encapsulated in the statement “the Lord loves the righteous!” Lean on the Lord! His love and faithfulness compel Him to act! He will not be silent. He will not grow weary. He will not refuse the cry of the humble heart! Celebrate His faithfulness and live confidently before Him.